Promoting Family Values ​​in MacbethThe play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, was first printed in 1623 and is a conflicting and disturbing play for the audience's values. Values ​​such as truth, masculinity, safety and kindness are all implied in the play, as their opposites prove destructive and life-altering. Of all Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth is the most obsessively concerned with evil. It is dark, brooding and bloodthirsty; as an illustration, the sole function of Lady MacDuff's messenger is to prepare the audience for bloodshed. Blood in itself is considered a bad image and contributes to character development, as shown in the description of Macbeth at the beginning. According to Duncan, gutting someone like a fish merits praise such as "Oh gallant cousin, Oh worthy Gentleman!" » For people of our time, being able to kill someone with such skill is a good thing...of course, this means that Macbeth has the potential to break. The play's evil imagery also helps ease the growing tension – the old man's description of the horses devouring each other is a prime example. Macbeth himself is also fundamentally evil; when he knows he is going to die, instead of getting out honorably by committing suicide, he decides to take as many people with him as possible. It is therefore somewhat ironic that “Macbeth” means “son of life”. The evil that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth create within themselves means that the audience is made to feel the psychological emptiness involved in committing a murder. Evil is inevitably destructive, but it is also self-destructive. By murdering Duncan, Macbeth destroys himself; his “unique state of man” is shaken by his... middle of paper... elm. Criticism of Shakespeare's tragedies. A course of lectures on drama and literature. London: AMS Press, Inc., 1965. Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth. Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992. Steevens, George. Shakespeare, The Critical Legacy. Flight. 6. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981. TW Shakespeare, The Critical Legacy. Flight. 5. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1979. Wills, Gary. Witches and Jesuits. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. Epstein, Norrie, The Friendly Shakepeare, New York, Viking Publishing, 1993. Harbage, Alfred, Macbeth, Middlesex England, Penguin Publishing, 1956. Magill, Masterplots - Volume 6, New Jersey, Salem Press , 1949. Staunten, Howard, The Complete Illustrated Shakespeare, New York, Park Lane Publishing, 1979.